12 – The Crippled Knight

“… D-Dan?”, Nanthan said in disbelief, “D-Did you say… Dan? Dan, the mighty??”

“Indeed. Tho… as I have told you, he goes by a different name these days…”, Staggeron calmly replied.

“C-Crippled…”, Antonio remembered the horrors of the Ultimate Showdown Nanthan told him about… Bugs missing legs, wings, eyes… Alive, but unwilling to live… Breathing, but dead both inside and outside...

“Crippled…”, Hercules said quietly, lifting his top right leg, touching the spot where his eye used to be… “Like me…”

He looked at Antonio, who was still shaking, then at Nanthan. “Crippled Knight… it doesn’t have to mean that it’s… bad… he could be only missing an eye, like me!”, he tried to give Antonio some hope.

Antonio just blankly stared at him…

Staggeron noticed this, so he cut Hercules off: “Your beetle friend is right, young ant…”

Hearing this got Antonio’s attention, and the ant carefully locked eyes with the eternal King.

Hercules did not expect to hear those words from the King. Truth to be told, Hercules said what he did just to try and calm Antonio a bit. Not because he believed his own words...

And, frankly, Hercules was correct to not believe his own words, as the next sentence Staggeron let out was enough to completely crush any delusion that was perhaps left in Antonio’s fragile soul…

“The Crippled Knight is a lot like your friend, young ant… as for he, too, is missing his right eye, upon many other things…

Legs…

Dignity...

Courage…

Calling him a Great Knight would be a disgrace...”

The King’s cold description of the Crippled Knight had left an impact on the trio of heros…

Mostly because of the way the King so… casually said what he did.

“S-So it is that bad…”, Antonio said.

Nanthan made an angry expression. ‘D-Did the King just…’

“HOW DARE YA?!!”, Hercules yelled. He found the King’s words the most personal and disrespectful. “HOW DARE YA SAY THAT?!! Yes, he may be missing some limbs… but to say that he is a disgrace to the title of a Great Knight??

Did you forget all of Dan’s achievements, King?!!

Did you forget that he was a big part in stopping Ozara the last time?!!

Did you forget about all the times he, along with the other four Knights, had helped this city and BeetleField’s people, among many other noble things they have done for Castanea?!!

And to think that I respected you, Staggeron…”, Hercules’s furious, disrespectful tone reached the King’s shocked tympanic membrane¹. The old King had never heard a common folk speak to him in this manner.

The King got closer to Hercules and asked: “What is your name, hercules beetle?”

Hercules expected the King to attack him or punish him in some way for speaking out to King like he did. But instead all Staggeron did was ask him for his name.

“Hercules… Hercules, son of Herculios.”

“Ah! Hercules… Such a fitting name for your species…”, the King tilted his head, “And Herculios… I knew your father, Hercules… He was an exceptional warrior in his time!”

“I…”, the King’s actions confused Hercules more and more, “I’ve heard about it… My mother told me and my brothers stories about him…”

“Yes, a most exceptional warrior, indeed!”, Staggeron continued, “Maybe he could even have been one of the Greats… if only fate didn’t have other plans for him…”

Hercules just got more angry when hearing this: “Where are ya getting at?”

The King coldly locked eyesight with him and answered: “What I’m trying to say is that even exceptional warriors, like your father or Dan, can fall from grace…

In case of your father it was dying in the Showdown…

And in Dan’s case it was becoming a coward… a weakling… a crippled shell of his former self…

A disgrace to his former title…”

“You… scum…”, Hercules said through half-closed mouth.

“Brave words, coming from someone who’s only alive because he was spared by the ant who defeated him… A mere ant. Defeating a hercules beetle…

I know who you are, Hercules.

And you have no right to speak to me in this manner.”, the King showed his true self.

“…”, Hercules wanted to fight. He wanted to spit at the King. He wanted to say something… anything…

But he sustained his rage…

Kept his temper…

As for he knew that doing so would only go against Nanthan and Antonio’s plans…

Doing so would only sabotage their mission.

The King turned towards the ants, who observed the entire scene in disbelief. “And you? Do you have anything to say about me ‘disrespecting’ The Crippled Knight?”

Antonio looked at Nanthan, who just stood there with a blank expression, silent.

“Well, whatever…”, the King turned around and started slowly walking towards the Graveyard’s exit, “You will soon see that what I said was nothing more than the simple truth.”

Hercules was the first to start following the King, who was taking them to where The Crippled Knight resided.

“S-So we’re just gonna let him insult us like tha-”, Antonio’s complaint was cut short by Nanthan raising his top left leg, signalising that it is not the right time for this…

Antonio understood, and so the trio just silently followed the eternal beetle to wherever he was taking them…

* * *

Center of BeetleField City; Gregor’s Bar:

Just as he was about to finish cleaning the empty bar, Gregor’s attention was drawn by a nervous cockroach rushing inside.

“FATHER!!”, the young cockroach yelled.

“… The hell do you want?”, Gregor was pissed off.

The young cockroach angrily put a bag full of Trao on one of the tables. “We need medicine! Quickly! David is seriously injured… Edgar said that you can take as much as you want…”

“…”, Gregor deliberately hesitated for a few moments, observing his son’s reaction before replying: “What for?”

“His leg. He’s missing a leg. Some damn ants and a hercules beetle did it to him…”, Gregory avoided mentioning that they were the ones who started the fight.

“Ants, you say…”, old Gregor whispered, then thought to himself: ‘So that’s why Edgar asked me if those blades were Ozara’s…’, he looked at his son with an emotionless expression, thinking: ‘Gregory… What have you gotten yourself into…’

“Please, father… we have to stop the bleeding…”, Gregory was worried.

“…”, old Gregor went to the back of the bar. After a minute or so he was back with a tiny jar of a sticky substance.

“Here!”, he roughly gave it to his son, “Now go!”

Gregory had a confused look on his face. “Aren’t you going to take some Trao?”, he asked. His father had pretty much never given him something for free.

“Go, save your friend! I’ll deal with the payment with Edgar later…”

“This isn’t like you, father… but… thank you…”, Gregory took the bag of Trao from the table and left.

When the door of the old bar closed, the lonely cockroach put four of his legs together and whispered a prayer: “Oh, Great Staggeron… I beg you… please keep my son safe…”

Outside of the bar, a goliath named David awaited his friend, who exited the bar holding the medicine he needed.

“How did… it go?”, David asked.

“… My father… he acted a bit weird… he didn’t take any Trao for the medicine…”, Gregory replied, “Well… whatever was on that old fuck’s mind is good for us, I guess! Now let’s apply the medicine before we check in on Edgar and that damn ant…”

David laid on the floor, and Gregory started applying the sticky substance directly on David’s wound.

“NGH!”, David groaned in pain.

This made Gregory flinch. He asked in a worried tone: “Are you okay?!”

“Yes… It just hurts a little, is all…”, David assured he was fine.

“… if you say so… I’m going to continue now. Be ready.”, Gregory warned David before continuing. David made a painful expression and bit his lips. But he sustained from making any more noise. After about half a minute or so Gregory said: “All finished! It shouldn’t get infected now…”

“Yes… thank… you… brother…”, David smiled.

“Heh!”, seeing David smile even after all he’s been through made Gregory happy, “Let’s get back to the boss and, more importantly, let’s kick some ant ass!!”

And so, the duo left…

* * *

BeetleField; path to The Crippled Knight’s hideout:

After a few minutes, Staggeron decided to break the uncomfortable silence: “You know… you’re not the first bugs to search for the Great Knights… to search for the truth…

Neither are you the first bugs to seek my guidance in said matter…”

Antonio, Nanthan and Hercules carefully listened to what the King had to say.

“About a season ago… two dogbane beetle brothers came to my castle, just like you did, to ask for any info on The Great Knights…

Their names were Thorax and Zephyr.

Thorax and Zephyr, the dogbane brothers.

The two of them, much like the three of you, decided that it is absurd that nobody knows anything about The Great Knights, even after such a long time, so they asked around…

And when they made it to me, I did the same thing I did with the three of you…

I showed them Diablo…

I showed them the truth.

And they, too, had a similar reaction to the three of you. Tho, they did come to accept the reality slightly quicker.

And after I showed them Diablo and told them about Motheas…

I told them about The Crippled Knight…

The same way I told you.

That him – or what’s left of him – is a disgrace to the title of a Great Knight!

It will not surprise you that the dogbane brothers found my… description of The Crippled Knight quite disrespectful.”

The four bugs were getting closer and closer to their destination.

Staggeron continued: “I ignored them and, instead of trying to argue, I decided to bring them to the same place I’m bringing you to.

I decided to bring them to The Crippled Knight to prove to them that I spoke nothing but the truth…”

A dusty, old door could be seen at the end of the tunnel they were in.

“So they met him…

They found out about everything…

And the following day, Thorax and Zephyr, the two dogbane brothers, took their own lives.”

Hearing this made the trio stop.

Antonio, especially, had to stop to catch his breath… to digest everything that has happened in the past 30 minutes or so…

“Yer lying!”, Hercules was sure.

“You can believe what you want, child… but the truth is…

BeetleField is doomed.

Anthill is doomed.

Castanea is doomed.

The only thing we can do is choose…

Choose if we will await the cruel fate Ozara brings us…

Or if we will end our own misery via our own legs.

The dogbane brothers, and others like them, who had found out the truth, chose the latter.

The only question left is…

Will you do the same?”

They made it to the old door.

Staggeron carefully opened them, and the four bugs entered The Crippled Knight’s hideout one by one…

* * *

Entrance to the BeetleField city:

The cockroach and the titan groaned in agony as they saw their boss – their brother – crying on the ground, laying in a pond of his own blood that came from his destroyed mouth.

“WHOOO?!!?”, Gregory screamed as tears uncontrollably flowed down his eyes, “WHO DID THIS TO YOU?!!”

He looked left and right, but there was nobody to be seen.

“The ant…”, Gregory whispered, “THE ANT!!”, he yelled and turned to David, “The ant that was here!! He’s gone!!”

“E-Edgar…”, David was very saddened to see his brother – his saviour – like this…

“Gregory… let’s take Edgar home… We’ll worry about who, how and why when boss gets better…”, he told the cockroach.

“You… You’re right… Do you think you can carry him home?”

“Yes… I think I can…”, David lifted the agonized dung beetle from the ground.

“Whoever did this… Whoever and wherever you are… I will kill you.”, Gregory said and the CoTiDu Trio started heading to their home.

* * *

The Crippled Knight’s hideout; BeetleField:

He was standing there, in the middle of the lone room that made his entire hideout.

And just like Staggeron described, The Crippled Knight was missing his right eye.

He was also missing his top right and the middle left leg.

With his remaining top and middle leg he was holding an old stick that helped him stand.

Behind him was nothing except for a few pieces of food and water here and there… and a giant, rough piece of metal.